OVER half a million ballot papers for next month’s presidential elections will have to be reprinted after the existing ones were ruled invalid as they feature the unauthorised logo of Guinness World Records.
Some 575,000 ballots will now have to be binned, with the cost of a printing new ones estimated at €40,000.
According to sources at the ministry, an anonymous call was made asking whether candidate Andreas Efstratiou’s use of the Guinness logo on the presidential election ballot papers was legal.
The ministry emailed the company early yesterday morning to ask for clearance to use the logo on ballot papers but was informed that Efstratiou had been told in 2011 not to use the logo again after using it in the 2008 presidential elections.
As a Guinness World Record holder, Efstratiou can use the logo in certain circumstances but not on ballot papers, according to the company.
However Efstratiou has refuted this.
After using the logo in the 2008 presidential elections to promote his record, Efstratiou said yesterday he did not think any objection would stand this time round as he had been given express permission by the company as a record holder to use the logo wherever he pleased.
“Someone from another party must have been annoyed that I was allowed to use such a famous logo,” he said. “There shouldn’t have been any problems in using it as I have used it in previous elections, despite local objections,” he added.
“I will take up legal proceedings against the Guinness World Records as it clearly stipulates on their website that as a record holder I can use their emblem wherever I choose,” he concluded.
Efstratiou currently holds the world record for creating the longest wedding dress train, measuring 1,362 metres, which he created in 2007.
He is a businessman from Paphos, and in 2003 won 606 votes and in 2008, 713 votes. His company, Efstratiou Weddings is a wedding planning organiser. When registering his candidacy for president Efstratiou asked people to support him because politicians had failed them.
“Despite the use of the logo in 2008, we sought to gain official confirmation that the company’s logo could be used on the ballot papers,” head of the electoral service Demetris Demetriou said. The electoral services will now look at the possibility of charging Efstratiou the cost of re-printing the ballot papers.
There have been many attempts at breaking Guinness World Records in Cyprus over recent years with the largest flaouna, the biggest wineglass and a road safety campaign with 1,000 children wearing 1,000 helmets all gaining entry into the famous book. Other attempts have also been made with people attempting to grow large plants and vegetables in order to gain recognition.
